iPhone blowing up worldwide, big in Japan after all

As the number of US users willing to put up with AT&T's service to use the …

Apple continues to add more markets for the iPhone worldwide, and the strategy is paying off. The latest analysis from mobile ad firm AdMob reveals that the number of unique users of iPhone OS-based devices is now split 50-50 between the US and the rest of the world. Overall, the number of unique users hitting AdMob's network from an iPhone or iPod touch has grown 150 percent over the last year. Japan has seen the biggest increase—over 300 percent—which may help explain why the iPhone commanded nearly half of the Japanese smartphone market in 2009.

International iPhone users are growing at a much faster rate than those in the US or Canada, which already enjoy a relatively large installed base. In January 2009, 39 percent of iPhone OS users on AdMob's network were located outside the US. By the end of last month, international users had grown to 50 percent. UK, France, Canada, Germany, and Australia account for 25 percent of iPhone OS users, or half of all international users. However, AdMob said there are 22 countries besides the US with at least 100,000 iPhone and iPod touch users worldwide. The overall split between the two is 70 percent iPhone, and 30 percent iPod touch.

Even while the US and Canada doubled the number of unique users in the last year, other countries showed far bigger gains. China more than tripled the number of unique users, despite a somewhat unimpressive launch with official carrier China Unicom. France quadrupled the number of unique users in 2009, while Japan posted the biggest increase of all—almost 350 percent.

That jump may surprise many who expected the iPhone to not perform so well in a country well known for its keitai culture, but the smartphone concept as embodied by the iPhone has certainly begun to take hold in Japan. In fact, data from market research firm Impress R&D shows that the iPhone is the number one smartphone in Japan by a huge margin—the iPhone commands 46 percent of the smartphone market, while its nearest competitor has just under 15 percent and the nearest Android phone slight more than 2 percent.

We fully expect Apple to post a large number of sales of iPhone and iPods touches outside the US at the end of this holiday quarter.